Managed by Magda and Natie le Roux, Esiweni Lodge is the newest getaway spot in the Nambiti Game Reserve – an exclusive, five-chalet jewel that accommodates just 10 visitors.
The Le Rouxs are among eight welcoming and attentive staff at Esiweni, who work hard to make your stay comfortable. The local community have also become involved in game conservation and eco-tourism through their Senzo’Kuhle Nkos’unodada Communal property Trust.
Esiweni is a Zulu word for “on the cliff” and, appropriately, the lodge is perched on and over a sheer rock face. It offers superb views of the snaking Sundays River, a wide, game-flecked valley and a distant waterfall.
The thatched-roof chalets – including a honeymoon suite with a king-size bed and a bath on the deck – are spacious, elegant and luxurious, with an indoor and outdoor shower, a large bath in the bedroom (a screen is available) and retracting doors that open on to large private decks where you can relax and enjoy the scenery.
Each chalet has under-floor heating, fans and all the amenities you could wish for. But to ensure your stay is peaceful, there are no television sets or radios, and no cellphone signal, except on game drives.
For essential communication, the office has access to a satellite-based phone.
The decor of the airy main lodge, with its small dining room and large lounge, including a pub, is elegant colonial safari. Smooth, polished concrete floors with Nguni cow hides and African weave rugs, rustic wooden beams, stone walls and a thatch roof give it a homely, warm, intimate feel.
Large stone hearths warm the lounge and dining areas on chilly nights and for warmer times there’s a rim-flow pool on the main deck.
The 10 000ha Nambiti Reserve boasts the Big Five. Natie is a friendly and knowledgeable guide and while pointing out game – highlights included two relaxed cheetahs, a family of lions, a hunting serval and buffalo – delighted us with tales of Nambiti’s flora and fauna.
The reserve is scenic and tranquil with amazing shades, layers, textures, colours and light. Game drives are from 6am to 9pm, then 3pm to 6pm, following a daily tea served with a delectable array of savoury and sweet snacks by resident chef Kim Moodley.
Meals at Esiweni are a treat. Kim takes prides in preparing things on site, including jams, sauces and fresh bread daily.
The wine list is also impressive. And the lodge has its own cellar, where the romantic can enjoy a private dinner.
It’s an easy three-hour drive from Durban. The entrance to the reserve is metres from the Elandslaagte war memorial site, 25km or so from Ladysmith and the road is excellent.
You can expect to be so rested after a few days that you’ll feel as if you’ve been there for a week. Current rates, which include all meals (not drinks) and two daily game drives, are R1 800 midweek and R2 150 weekends per person, per night, sharing.For more information, call 036 636 9002/3 or visit www.esiweni.co.za - Sunday Tribune